Yew Tree Care Centre

What families say

Some families have found real comfort in how staff care for their loved ones, particularly during difficult times. The care assistants have been described as gentle and kind in their daily interactions with residents.

Based on 7 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement65
• Food quality65
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-02-04 · Report published 2020-02-04 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The safe domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. The published summary does not include specific detail about staffing ratios, medicines management, falls recording, or infection control practices. A monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence requiring a reassessment of the Good rating. The home is registered to provide nursing care as well as personal care, which means qualified nurses should be available around the clock.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but the evidence behind it here is general rather than specific. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety is most likely to slip in care homes, and agency reliance is a known risk factor for inconsistency. With 76 beds and specialisms including dementia and mental health conditions, understanding the actual staffing numbers on nights is essential. Cleanliness is mentioned by 24.3% of families in our review data as a key concern, and this was not specifically assessed in the published findings, so observe the premises carefully on your visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios and agency staff continuity are among the strongest predictors of safety incidents in care homes. A Good daytime rating does not automatically confirm safe night cover.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for a typical week, including nights. Count how many permanent staff versus agency staff covered the dementia unit on night shifts in the last month, and ask what the minimum nurse cover is overnight."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The effective domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. No specific detail was published about care plan quality, GP access, medicines reviews, dementia training content, or food provision. The home is registered to provide treatment of disease, disorder, or injury alongside nursing and personal care. The monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence to change the Good rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effective care for someone living with dementia depends on care plans that are treated as living documents, updated as the person changes, and written with input from family. Our review data identifies dementia-specific care as a concern for 12.7% of families, and food quality is mentioned positively by families in 20.9% of reviews. Neither of these areas is covered in enough detail in the published findings to give confident reassurance. Good Practice evidence is clear that regular GP access and structured dementia training are key markers of effective care.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that care plans used as active tools, reviewed regularly and co-produced with families, are associated with better outcomes for people living with dementia compared with plans written at admission and rarely updated.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised if needed) and ask how often care plans are formally reviewed. Find out whether families are routinely invited to review meetings, and ask what dementia-specific training all care staff have completed in the last 12 months."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The caring domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. The published summary does not include specific observations about staff warmth, use of preferred names, pace of care, or responses to distress. No quotes from residents or relatives were included in the published summary. The monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence to change the Good rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity feature in 55.2%. These are things you will only be able to judge by visiting. Watch how staff speak to your parent during the tour: do they introduce themselves, make eye contact, and move without hurry? Good Practice research is clear that non-verbal communication matters as much as words for people living with dementia, so what staff do is as important as what they say.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review found that for people with advanced dementia, staff who use touch, tone, and proximity skilfully produce measurably lower levels of distress than those who rely primarily on verbal communication.","watch_out":"During your visit, notice whether staff in corridors acknowledge your parent or other residents as they pass. Ask a staff member what your parent's preferred name is and how they would know it. These small details reveal whether the home genuinely knows the people who live there."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The responsive domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. The published summary does not include specific detail about the activity programme, one-to-one engagement, how individual preferences are accommodated, or end-of-life care planning. The monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence to change the Good rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness is mentioned positively in 27.1% of family reviews in our data, and activities feature in 21.4%. For someone living with dementia, meaningful activity is not optional: it is a clinical need. Good Practice evidence is clear that group activities alone are insufficient, and that tailored one-to-one engagement, including everyday tasks such as folding, gardening, or cooking, produces better wellbeing outcomes. None of this is covered in the published findings, so you will need to ask directly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review identified Montessori-based approaches and familiar household tasks as among the most effective activity interventions for people living with dementia, producing measurable reductions in agitation and improvements in mood.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to show you last week's actual activity record, not the planned schedule. Ask specifically what happens for residents who are unable to join group sessions, and how often someone sits one-to-one with a person who is very withdrawn or has advanced dementia."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The well-led domain was rated Good at the January 2022 inspection. Ms Helen Louise Wood is named as the registered manager and Mrs Lynn Maddison as the nominated individual, indicating a defined leadership structure. The published summary does not include detail about manager visibility, staff culture, governance processes, or how the home handles complaints and incidents. The monitoring review in July 2023 found no evidence to change the Good rating.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time, according to Good Practice research. A registered manager who is known to staff and residents by name, and who is visible on the floor rather than office-bound, is associated with better outcomes. Communication with families is mentioned positively in 11.5% of our review data. The fact that there is a named manager in post is a baseline positive, but you need to meet her and judge whether she knows the home well.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review found that care homes where managers are consistently present and visible, and where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, have better safety records and higher family satisfaction than those where leadership is mainly administrative.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask to meet the registered manager in person. Ask how long she has been in post, how she finds out if a resident is having a difficult day, and what the process is for a family member to raise a concern. Her answers will tell you more than any rating."}

  Verified by inspector

Source: CQC inspection report →

What the evidence base says

Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on The centre supports residents with sensory impairments, dementia, mental health conditions and physical disabilities. They have experience caring for people with complex needs.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the centre provides specialist support. Staff work with residents who have varying stages and types of dementia alongside other conditions. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.